Ottawa’s 49North refreshes Global Procedure Designer to meet new ICAO and Transport Canada criteria

Ottawa-based 49North, a subsidiary of MDA Space, has rolled out a major upgrade to its Global Procedure Designer (GPD) software—a tool used worldwide to craft and maintain instrument flight procedures. The 12 June release aligns the platform with the latest ICAO PANS-OPS, FAA TERPS, Transport Canada TP308 and NATO MIPS standards, while adding full AIXM 5.1 compliance and automated ARINC-424 coding. Why it matters for global mobility: hundreds of commercial, corporate and military operators rely on GPD-generated procedures for approach, departure and en-route safety. By streamlining calculations and continuously validating against live terrain and obstacle data, the refresh aims to cut design timelines and ensure that new or amended procedures are flight-inspection ready sooner—ultimately supporting more efficient airspace and reducing delays. Regulatory momentum is a key driver. Transport Canada will mandate obstacle assessment updates for all RNAV approaches by January 2027, and NAV CANADA intends to expand required-navigation-performance (RNP) routes to six additional city pairs next year. Airports and airlines that design ‘bespoke’ procedures for noise mitigation or obstacle-rich environments—Toronto Billy Bishop and Calgary Downtown among them—are likely early adopters. For corporate aviation departments and travel managers, the knock-on effect could be noticeable. Faster publication of optimised procedures can translate into shorter routings, fuel savings and more reliable arrival windows—particularly important for time-sensitive business charters. The upgrade also supports data-link export to electronic flight-bag providers, improving cockpit situational awareness. 49North says the refreshed GPD will be available as a cloud-hosted subscription or an on-premise package, with transition support offered to existing clients. Organisations operating private fleets or managing complex project-site airstrips should liaise with their procedure-design vendors to confirm migration timelines and any training requirements.